Crowds decline at 'Virgin Mary tree' on Bergenline Avenue in West New York, but it's never without visitors

WEST NEW YORK - Three weeks after its discovery on Bergenline Avenue, the Virgin Mary tree is still a local celebrity.

The likeness of an iconic image of the Virgin Mary in a knot in the tree near 60th Street garnered national attention and drew large crowds daily for a week or so.

And while those numbers have dropped considerably, the tree still has a small crowd of the faithful and the curious around it at almost all times.

Silvia Sinchi, a volunteer that helps keep the area around the tree neat, said a group of volunteers is still doing their best to keep watch over the tree 24 hours a day.

“Lots of people still come through, so we still try to be here,” she said. “We help them with flowers and things they want to leave near the tree.”

The tree is also attracting new onlookers as well. Donald Alvarez, a New York resident, said he was brought to the tree by word of mouth.

Alvarez said his sister had traveled from Long Island to West New York to see the likeness of Our Lady of Guadalupe in the tree, which spurred him to come as well.

“It’s something,” he said. “Who would’ve thought to look where no one looked before.”

Pedro Cruz, an employee at the T-Mobile store near the tree, said a crowd is present at the tree from 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. Cruz said the crowd gets largest around 5 p.m., when people returning from work stop by.

“People come by after work and stay there for an hour or two,” he said. “I heard someone talking on the phone and all he had to say was ‘The tree’ and the person knew where he was. It’s crazy.”

Police have scaled back their presence at the tree during the day. A West New York police cruiser was parked nearby yesterday, but no officer was visible. Cruz said as many as two police officers are posted during the evening rush.

Despite the falloff in crowds, the tree isn’t free from controversy. An argument erupted yesterday between two Spanish-speaking people, both carrying Bibles.

A man in the crowd, Alex Saova, said the argument was over the crowd’s belief in the image and whether or not it was actually there.